National Humanities Center Resource Toolbox
The Making of African American Identity: Vol. I, 1500-1865
_____________________LOUIS HUGHES
UNC-CH Library
THIRTY YEARS A SLAVE:
FROM BONDAGE TO FREEDOM
The Institution of Slavery as Seen on the Plantation
and in the Home of the Planter
1897 __ Excerpts __
For about 15 years, Louis Hughes lived on a Mississippi cotton plantation
owned by Edward McGee, "one of the wealthiest and most successful
planters of his time." In his narrative, Thirty Years a Slave: From Bondage
to Freedom (1897), Hughes describes the physical complexity of a large
southern cotton plantation—the planter's house, overseer's residence,
task-defined outbuildings, and minimal slave quarters. He details the
regimented work routines of the enslaved blacks, noting the skilled
craftsmen among them who fashioned most of the farming equipment. He
lists the punishments meted out by the overseer that were "barbarous in
the extreme" In 1865, as the Union army approached his plantation,
Hughes was able to escape, soon retrieving his wife and children.
1
Ch. I. Life on a Cotton Plantation
___Birth – Sold in a Richmond Slave Pen___
I was born in Virginia, in 1832, near Charlottesville, in the beautiful valley of the Rivanna river. My
father was a white man and my mother a negress, the slave of one John Martin. I was a mere child,
probably not more than six years of age, as I remember, when my mother, two brothers and myself were
sold to Dr. Louis, a practicing physician in the village of Scottsville. We remained with him about five
years, when he died, and, in the settlement of his estate, I was sold to one Washington Fitzpatrick, a
merchant of the village. He kept me a short time when he took me to Richmond, by way of canal-boat,
expecting to sell me; but as the market was dull, he brought me back and kept me some three months
longer, when he told me he had hired me out to work on a canal-boat running to Richmond, and to go to
my mother and get my clothes ready to start on the trip. I went to her as directed, and, when she had made
ready my bundle, she bade me good-by with tears in her eyes, saying: “My son, be a good boy; be polite
to every one, and always behave yourself properly.” It was sad to her to part with me, though she did not
know that she was never to see me again, for my master had said nothing to her regarding his purpose and
she only thought, as I did, that I was hired to work on the canal-boat, and that she should see me
occasionally. But alas! We never met again. I can see her form still as when she bade me good-bye. That
parting I can never forget. I ran off from her as quickly as I could after her parting words, for I did not
want her to see me crying. I went to my master at the store, and he again told me that he had hired me to
work on the canal-boat, and to go aboard immediately. Of the boat and the trip and the scenes along the
route I remember little ⎯ I only thought of my mother and my leaving her. . . .
Hughes was sold to George Reid and worked on his farm outside Richmond for about six years, when Reid sold him at a slave
auction for $380 to a Mississippi plantation owner named Edward McGee. In late 1844, Hughes and thirty-nine other enslaved
African Americans arrived at the McGee plantation.
1
National Humanities Center, 2007: nationalhumanitiescenter.org/pds/. Full text in Documenting the American South (University of North Carolina
Library) at docsouth.unc.edu/fpn/hughes/menu.html. Complete image credits at nationalhumanitiescenter.org/pds/maai/imagecredits.htm.
___My Mississippi Home___
Library of Congress
At length, after a long and wearisome journey, we reached Pontotoc,
McGee’s home, on Christmas eve.
Boss took me into the house and into
the sitting room, where all the family
were assembled, and presented me
as a Christmas gift to the madam, his
wife.
My boss, as I remember him,
was a tall, rawboned man, but rather
distinguished in looks, with a fine
carriage, brilliant in intellect, and
considered one of the wealthiest and
most successful planters of his time.
Mrs. McGee was a handsome,
stately lady, about thirty years of
Lloyd's New Military Map of the Border & Southern States, 1862, detail.
age, brunette in complexion, faultLouis Hughes was born in 1832 near Charlottesville, Virginia, and sold at age
less in figure and imperious in
six to a plantation owner near Richmond. At age sixteen, in 1844, he was
manner. I think that they were of
sold to Edward McGee and taken to the McGee plantation near Pontotoc,
Mississippi (via Edenton, Georgia, where McGee sold twenty-one of his
Scotch descent. There were four
slaves.
children, Emma, Willie, Johnnie and
Jimmie. All looked at me, and
thought I was “a spry little fellow.” I was very shy and did not say much, as everything was strange to me.
I was put to sleep that night on a pallet on the floor in the dining room, using an old quilt as a covering.
The next morning was Christmas, and it seemed to be a custom to have egg-nog before breakfast. The
process of making this was new and interesting to me. I saw them whip the whites of eggs, on a platter, to
a stiff froth; the yolks were thoroughly beaten in a large bowl, sugar and plenty of good brandy were
added, and the whites of the eggs and cream were then stirred in, a little nutmeg grated on top of each
glass when filled for serving. This was a delicious drink, and the best of all was, there was plenty of it. I
served this to all the family, and, as there were also visiting relatives present, many glasses were required,
and I found the tray so heavy I could hardly carry it. I helped myself, after the service was finished, and I
was delighted, for I had never tasted anything so fine before.
My boss told me I was to wait on the madam, do any errand necessary, attend to the dining room ⎯
in fact I was installed as general utility boy. It was different from the quiet manner of life I had seen
before coming here ⎯ it kept my spirits up for some time. I thought of my mother often, but I was
gradually growing to the idea that it was useless to cry, and I tried hard to overcome my feelings.
___Plantation Life___
As already stated, it was Christmas morning, and, after breakfast, I saw the cook hurrying, and when I
went out into the yard, everywhere I looked slaves met my view. I never saw so many slaves at one time
before. In Virginia we did not have such large farms. There were no extensive cotton plantations, as in
Mississippi. I shall never forget the dinner that day ⎯ it was a feast fit for a king, so varied and lavish
was the bill of fare. The next attraction for me was the farm hands getting their Christmas rations. Each
was given a pint of flour of which they made biscuit, which were called “Billy Seldom,” because biscuit
were very rare with them. Their daily food was corn bread, which they called “Johnny Constant,” as they
had it constantly. In addition to the flour each received a piece of bacon or fat meat, from which they got
the shortening for their biscuit. The cracklings from the rendering of lard were also used by the slaves for
shortening. The hands were allowed four days off at Christmas, and if they worked on these days, as some
National Humanities Center „ Louis Hughes, Thirty Years A Slave, 1897, excerpts___
2
of them did, they got fifty cents a day for chopping. It was not common to have chopping done during the
holidays; some planters, however, found it convenient thus to get it out of the way for the work which
came after Christmas.
___The Great House___
I soon became familiar with my work in the house and with the neighborhood, as I often had to carry
notes for Boss to neighboring farmers, as well as to carry the mail to and from the post office. The “great
house,” as the dwelling of the master was called, was two stories high, built of huge logs, chinked and
daubed and whitewashed. It was divided, from front to rear, by a hall twenty-five feet long and twelve
feet wide, and on each side of the hall, in each story, was one large room with a large fire-place. There
were but four rooms in all, yet these were so large that they were equal to at least six of our modern
rooms. The kitchen was
HABS/Library of Congress
not attached to the main
building, but was about
thirty feet to the rear.
This was the common
mode of building in the
south in those days. The
two bedrooms upstairs
were very plain in
furnishings, but neat and
comfortable, judged by
the standard of the times.
A wing was added to the
main building for dining
room. In rear of the
kitchen was the milk or
dairy house, and beyond
this the smoke house for
curing the meat.
In line with these
buildings, and still further
to the rear, was the overseer’s house. Near the
milk house was a large
Plot plan of Thornhill plantation, Greene County, Alabama (about 100 miles from Pontotoc,
tree, and attached to the
Mississippi). Note the main house, detached kitchen, school, cemetery, barn, slave
hospital, and row of “servants’ quarters” similar to the row of slave cabins
trunk was a lever; and
on the McGee plantation as described by Louis Hughes.
here was where the
churning was done, in
which I had always to assist. This establishment will serve as a sample of many of those on the large
plantations in the south. The main road from Pontotoc to Holly Springs, one of the great thoroughfares of
the state and a stage route, passed near the house, and through the center of the farm. On each side of this
road was a fence, and in the corners of both fences, extending for a mile, were planted peach trees, which
bore excellent fruit in great profusion.
___House Servant and Errand Boy___
My first work in the morning was to dust the parlor and hall and arrange the dining room. It came
awkward to me at first, but, after the madam told me how, I soon learned to do it satisfactorily. Then I had
to wait on the table; sweep the large yard every morning with a brush broom and go for the mail once a
week. I used to get very tired, for I was young and consequently not strong.
National Humanities Center „ Louis Hughes, Thirty Years A Slave, 1897, excerpts___
3
Aside from these things which came regularly, I had to help the madam in warping the cloth. I
dreaded this work, for I always got my ears boxed if I did not or could not do the work to suit her. She
always made the warp herself and put it in, and I had to hand her the thread as she put it through the
harness. I would get very tired at this work and, like any child, wanted to be at play, but I could not
remember that the madam ever gave me that privilege.
Saddling the horse at first was troublesome to me, but Boss was constant in his efforts to teach me,
and, after many trials, I learned the task satisfactorily to the master and to bring the horse to the door
when he wished to go out for business or pleasure. Riding horseback was common for both ladies and
gentlemen, and sometimes I would have to saddle three or more horses when Boss, the madam, a friend
or friends desired a ride. Bird hunting parties were common and were greatly enjoyed, by the young
people especially. . . .
___The Overseer – Whippings and Other Cruelties___
The overseer was a man hired to look after the farm and whip the slaves. Very often they were not only
cruel, but barbarous. Every farmer or planter considered an overseer a necessity. As a rule, there was also
on each plantation, a foreman ⎯ one of the brighter slaves, who was held responsible for the slaves under
him, and whipped if they did not come up to the required task. There was, too, a forewoman, who, in like
manner, had charge of the female slaves, and also the boys and girls from twelve to sixteen years of age,
and all the old people that were feeble.
This was called the trash gang. Ah! it would make one’s heart ache to see those children and how
they were worked. Cold, frosty mornings, the little ones would be crying from cold; but they had to keep
on. Aunt Polly, our forewoman, was afraid to allow them to run to get warm, for fear the overseer would
see them. Then she would be whipped, and he would make her whip all of the gang. At length, I became
used to severe treatment of the slaves; but, every little while something would happen to make me wish I
were dead. Everything was in a bustle ⎯ always there was slashing and whipping. I remember when Boss
made a change in our overseer. It was the beginning of the year. Riley, one of the slaves, who was a
principal plower, was not on hand for work one Monday morning, having been delayed in fixing the
bridle of his mule, which the animal, for lack of something better, perhaps, had been vigorously chewing
and rendered nearly useless. He was, therefore, considerably behind time, when he reached the field.
Without waiting to learn what was the reason for the delay, the overseer sprang upon him with his bull
whip, which was about seven feet long, lashing him with all his strength, every stroke leaving its mark
upon the poor man’s body, and finally the knot at the end of the whip buried itself in the fleshy part of the
arm, and there came around it a festering sore. He suffered greatly with it, until one night his brother took
out the knot, when the poor fellow was asleep, for he could not bear any one to touch it when he was
awake. It was awful to hear the cracking of that whip as it was laid about Riley ⎯ one would have
thought that an ox team had gotten into the mire, and was being whipped out, so loud and sharp was the
noise!
I usually slept in the dining room on the floor. Early one morning an old slave, by name of “Uncle
Jim,” came and knocked at the window, and upon my jumping up and going to him, he told me to tell
Boss that Uncle Jim was there. He had run away, some time before, and, for some reason, had returned.
Boss, upon hearing the news, got up and sent me to tell the overseer to come at once. He came, and,
taking the bull whip, a cowhide and a lot of peach-tree switches, he and Boss led Uncle Jim back into the
cow lot, on the side of the hill, where they drove four stakes in the ground, and, laying him flat on his
face, tied his hands and feet to these stakes. After whipping him, in this position, all they wanted to, a pail
of strong salt and water was brought, and the poor fellow was “washed down.” This washing was
customary, after whippings, as the planters claimed it drew out all the soreness, and healed the lacerated
flesh.
Upon one occasion, the family being away, I was left extra work to do, being set to help three fellow
slaves lay off the rows for planting corn. We did not get them quite straight. The deviation we made from
National Humanities Center „ Louis Hughes, Thirty Years A Slave, 1897, excerpts___
4
the line was very little, and could
scarcely be seen, even by an expert; but
the least thing wrong about the work
would cause any slave to be whipped,
and so all four of us were flogged.
HABS/Library of Congress
___The Slave Cabin___
There was a section of the plantation
known as “the quarters,” where were
situated the cabins of the slaves. These
cabins were built of rough logs, and
daubed with the red clay or mud of the
region. No attempt was made to give
them a neat appearance ⎯ they were
not even whitewashed. Each cabin was
about fourteen feet square; containing
but one room, and was covered with
oak boards, three feet in length, split out
of logs by hand. These boards were not
nailed on, but held in their places by
what were termed weight-poles laid
across them at right angles.
“Housekeeper’s cabin,” Thornhill plantation, Greene County, Alabama,
similar to Hughes’s description of the slave cabins on the McGee plantation in Mississippi. Architectural plan and photographs of interior fireplace
& cabin exterior (with the woman occupying the cabin), 1934.
There were in each room two
windows, a door and a large, rude
fireplace. The door and window frames,
or facings, were held in their places by
wooden pins, nails being used only in
putting the doors together. The interior
of the cabins had nothing more
attractive than the outside ⎯ there was
no plastering and only a dirt floor. The
furniture consisted of one bed, a plain
board table and some benches made by
the slaves themselves. Sometimes a
cabin was occupied by two or more
families, in which case the number of
beds was increased proportionately. For
light a grease lamp was used, which
was made of iron, bowl shaped, by a
blacksmith. The bowl was filled with
grease and a rag or wick placed in it,
one end resting on the edge for lighting.
These lamps gave a good light, and
were in general use among the slaves.
Tallow candles were a luxury, never
seen in the “great houses” of the
planters. The only light for outdoors
used by the slaves was a torch made by
binding together a bundle of small
sticks or splinters.
National Humanities Center „ Louis Hughes, Thirty Years A Slave, 1897, excerpts___
5
___Cotton Raising___
After the selection of the soil most suitable for cotton, the preparation of it was of vital importance. The
land was deeply plowed, long enough before the time for planting to allow the spring rains to settle it.
Then it was thrown into beds or ridges by turning furrows both ways toward a given center. The seed was
planted at the rate of one hundred pounds per acre. The plant made its appearance in about ten days after
planting, if the weather was favorable. Early planting, however, followed by cold, stormy weather
frequently caused the seed to rot. As soon as the third leaf appeared the process of scraping commenced,
which consisted of cleaning the ridge with hoes of all superfluous plants and all weeds and grass. After
this a narrow plow known as a “bull tongue,” was used to turn the loose earth around the plant and cover
up any grass not totally destroyed by the hoes. If the surface was very rough the hoes followed, instead of
preceding, the plow to unearth those plants that may have been partially covered. The slaves often
acquired great skill in these operations, running plows within two inches of the stalks, and striking down
weeds within half an inch with their hoes, rarely touching a leaf of the cotton. Subsequent plowing,
alternating with hoeing, usually occurred once in twenty days. There was danger in deep plowing of
injuring the roots, and this was avoided, except in the middle of rows in wet seasons when it was
necessary to bury and more effectHABS/Library of Congress
ually kill the grass. The implements
used in the culture of cotton were
shovels, hoes, sweeps, cultivators,
harrows and two kinds of plows.
It required four months, under the
most favorable circumstances, for
cotton to attain its full growth. It was
usually planted about the 1st of April,
or from March 20th to April 10th,
bloomed about the 1st of June and the
first balls opened about August 15th,
when picking commenced. The
blooms come out in the morning and
are fully developed by noon, when
they are a pure white. Soon after
meridian they begin to exhibit reddish
streaks, and next morning are a clear
pink. They fall off by noon of the
second day. . . .
Gin house, originally on Goode plantation, Monroe County, Alabama,
built approximately 1830, photographs ca. 1930s
___The Cotton Harvest___
The cotton harvest, or picking season,
began about the latter part of August
or first of September, and lasted till
Christmas or after, but in the latter
part of July picking commenced for
“the first bale” to go into the market
at Memphis. This picking was done
by children from nine to twelve years
of age and by women who were
known as “sucklers,” that is, women
with infants. The pickers would pass
through the rows getting very little, as
the cotton was not yet in full bloom.
Shaft (on ground) and pinion wheel (in two sections); old gin in background
National Humanities Center „ Louis Hughes, Thirty Years A Slave, 1897, excerpts___
6
From the lower part of the stalk
where it opened first is where they
got the first pickings. The season of
first picking was always a great
time, for the planter who brought
the first bale of cotton into market
at Memphis was presented with a
basket of champagne by the
commission merchants. This was a
custom established throughout
Mississippi. After the first pickings
were secured the cotton developed
very fast, continuing to bud and
bloom all over the stalk until the
frost falls.
Library of Congress
Picking cotton, Arkansas, 1937
The season of picking was
exciting to all planters, every one
was zealous in pushing his slaves in order that he might reap the greatest possible harvest. The planters
talked about their prospects, discussed the cotton markets, just as the farmers of the north discuss the
markets for their products. I often saw Boss so excited and nervous during the season he scarcely ate. The
daily task of each able-bodied slave during the cotton picking season was 250 pounds or more, and all
those who did not come up to the required amount would get a whipping. When the planter wanted more
cotton picked than usual, the overseer would arrange a race. The slaves would be divided into two parties,
with a leader for each party. The first leader would choose a slave for his side, then the second leader one
for his, and so on alternately until all were chosen. Each leader tried to get the best on his side. They
would all work like good fellows for the prize, which was a tin cup of sugar for each slave on the winning
side. The contest was kept up for three days whenever the planter desired an extra amount picked. The
slaves were just as interested in the races as if they were going to get a five dollar bill.
___Preparing Cotton for Market___
The gin-house was situated about four hundred yards from “the great house” on the main road. It was a
large shed built upon square timbers, and was similar to a barn, only it stood some six feet from the
ground, and underneath was located the machinery for running the gin. The cotton was put into the loft
after it was dried, ready for ginning. In this process the cotton was dropped from the loft to the man who
fed the machine. As it was ginned the lint would go into the lint room, and the seed would drop at the
feeder’s feet. The baskets used for holding lint were twice as large as those used in the picking process,
and they were never taken from the gin house. These lint baskets were used in removing the lint from the
lint room to the place where the cotton was baled. A bale contained 250 pounds, and the man who did the
treading of the cotton into the bales would not vary ten pounds in the bale, so accustomed was he to the
packing. Generally from fourteen to fifteen bales of cotton were in the lint room at a time. . . .
___Farm Implements___
Almost all the implements used on the plantation were made by the slaves. Very few things were bought.
Boss had a skilled blacksmith, uncle Ben, for whom he paid $1,800, and there were slaves who were
carpenters and workers in wood who could turn their hands to almost anything. Wagons, plows, harrows,
grubbing hoes, hames, collars, baskets, bridle bits and hoe handles were all made on the farm and from
the material which it produced, except the iron. The timber used in these implements was generally white
or red oak, and was cut and thoroughly seasoned long before it was needed.
The articles thus manufactured were not fine in form or finish, but they were durable, and answered
National Humanities Center „ Louis Hughes, Thirty Years A Slave, 1897, excerpts___
7
the purposes of a rude method of agriculture. Horse collars were made from corn husks and from poplar
bark which was stripped from the tree, in the spring, when the sap was up and it was soft and pliable, and
separated into narrow strips which were plaited together. These collars were easy for the horse, and
served the purpose of the more costly leather collar. Every season at least 200 cotton baskets were made.
One man usually worked at this all the year round, but in the spring he had three assistants. The baskets
were made from oak timber grown in the home forests and prepared by the slaves. It was no small part of
the work of the blacksmith and his assistant to keep the farm implements in good repair, and much of this
work was done at night. All the plank used was sawed by hand from timber grown on the master’s land,
as there were no saw mills in that region. Almost the only things not made on the farm which were in
general use there were axes, trace chains and the hoes used in cultivating the cotton.
___The Clearing of New Land___
When additional land was required for cultivation the first step was to go into the forest in summer and
“deaden” or girdle the trees on a given tract. This was cutting through the bark all around the trunk about
thirty inches from the ground. The trees so treated soon died and in a year or two were in condition to be
removed. The season selected for clearing the land was winter, beginning with January. The trees, except
the larger ones, were cut down, cut into lengths convenient for handling and piled into great heaps, called
“log heaps,” and burned. The undergrowth was grubbed out and also piled and burned. The burning was
done at night and the sight was often weird and grand. The chopping was done by the men slaves and the
grubbing by women. All the trees that blew down during the summer were left as they fell till winter
when they were removed. This went on, year after year, until all the trees were cleared out. The first year
after the new land was cleared corn was put in, the next season cotton. As a rule corn and cotton were
planted alternately, especially if the land was poor, if not, cotton would be continued year after year on
the same land. Old corn stalks were always plowed under for the next year’s crop and they served as an
excellent fertilizer. Cotton was seldom planted on newly cleared land, as the roots and stumps rendered it
difficult to cultivate the land without injury to the growing plant.
I never saw women put to the hard work of grubbing until I went to McGee’s and I greatly wondered
at it. Such work was not done by women slaves in Virginia. Children were required to do some work, it
mattered not how many grown people were working. There were always tasks set for the boys and girls
ranging in age from nine to thirteen years, beyond these ages they worked with the older slaves. After I
had been in Pontotoc two years I had to help plant and hoe, and work in the cotton during the seasons, and
soon learned to do everything pertaining to the farm.
___Cooking for the Slaves___
In summer time the cooking for the slaves was done out of doors. A large fire was built under a tree, two
wooden forks were driven into the ground on opposite sides of the fire, a pole laid on the forks and on this
kettles were hung over the fire for the preparation of the food. Cabbage and meat, boiled, alternated with
meat and peas, were the staple for summer. Bread was furnished with the meals and corn meal dumplings,
that is, little balls made of meal and grease from the boiled bacon and dropped into boiling water, were
also provided and considered quite palatable, especially if cooked in the water in which the bacon was
boiled. In winter the cooking was done in a cabin, and sweet potatoes, dried peas and meat were the
principal diet. This bill of fare was for dinner or the mid-day meal. For supper each slave received two
pieces of meat and two slices of bread, but these slices were very large, as the loaves were about six
inches thick and baked in an old fashioned oven. This bread was made from corn meal for, as I have said,
only on holidays and special occasions did the slaves have white bread of any kind. Part of the meat and
bread received at supper time was saved for the “morning bite.” The slaves never had any breakfast, but
went to the field at daylight and after working till the sun was well up, all would stop for their morning
bite. Very often some young fellow ate his morning bite the evening before at supper and would have
nothing for the morning, going without eating until noon. The stop for morning bite was very short; then
all would plunge into work until mid-day, when all hands were summoned to their principal meal.
National Humanities Center „ Louis Hughes, Thirty Years A Slave, 1897, excerpts___
8
American Textile History Museum
___Carding and Spinning___
Through the winter and on rainy days in summer, the women
of the field had to card the wool and spin it into yarn. They
generally worked in pairs, a spinning wheel and cards being
assigned to each pair, and while one carded the wool into rolls,
the other spun it into yarn suitable for weaving into cloth, or a
coarse, heavy thread used in making bridles and lines for the
mules that were used in the fields. This work was done in the
cabins, and the women working together alternated in the
carding and spinning. Four cuts were considered a task or
day’s work, and if any one failed to complete her task she
received a whipping from the madam.
At night when the spinners brought their work to the big house
I would have it to reel. The reel was a contrivance consisting
of a sort of wheel, turned on an axis, used to transfer the yarn
from the spools or spindles of the spinning wheels into cuts or
hunks. It was turned by hand and when enough yarn had been
th
Wooden snap reel, 19 century
reeled to make a cut the reel signaled it with a snap. This
horizontal 27 in. x vertical 39.63 in. x depth 10.5 in.
process was continued until four cuts were reeled which made
a hunk, and this [was] taken off and was ready for use. So the
work went on until all was reeled. I often got very weary of this work and would almost fall asleep at it,
as it was generally done at night after I had had a long day’s toil at something else.
___Slave Mothers ⎯ Care of the Children___
The women who had young babies were assigned to what was considered “light work,” such as hoeing
potatoes, cutting weeds from the fence corners, and any other work of like character. About nine o’clock
in the forenoon, at noon, and three o’clock in the afternoon, these women, known on the farms as “the
sucklers,” could be seen going from work to nurse their babies. Many were the heart-sighs of these
sorrowing mothers as they went to minister to their infants. Sometimes the little things would seem
starved, for the mothers could only stop their toil three times a day to care for them. When old enough to
receive it, the babies had milk, the liquor from boiled cabbage, and bread and milk together. A woman
who was too old to do much of anything was assigned to the charge of these babies in the absence of their
mothers. It was rare that she had any on to help her. The cries of these little ones, who were cut off almost
entirely from motherly care and protection, were heart-rending.
The cabin used for the infants during the day was a double one, that is, double the usual size, and was
located near the great house. The cradles used were made of boards, and were not more than two by three
feet in size. The women carried their babies in the cradles to the baby cabin in the morning, taking them
to their own cabins at night. The children ranging in age from one to seven years were numerous, and the
old woman had them to look after as well as the babies. This was indeed a task, and might well have
taxed the strength of a younger woman. They were always from eight to a dozen infants in the cabin. . . .
___Methods of Punishment___
The methods of punishment were barbarous in the extreme, and so numerous that I will not attempt to
describe them all. One method was to tie the slave to a tree, strip off his clothes, and then whip him with a
rawhide, or long, limber switches, or the terrible bull whip. Another was to put the slave in stocks, or to
buck him, that is, fasten his feet together, draw up his knees to his chin, tie his hands together, draw them
down over the knees, and put a stick under the latter and over the arms. In either of these ways the slave
was entirely at the mercy of his tormentors, and the whipping could proceed at their pleasure. After these
National Humanities Center „ Louis Hughes, Thirty Years A Slave, 1897, excerpts___
9
whippings the slave was often left helpless and bleeding
upon the ground, until the master, or overseer, saw fit to let
him up.
J. Handler/Virginia Foundation for the Humanities
The most common method of punishment was to have
the servants form a ring, called the “bull ring,” into which
the one to be punished was led naked. The slaves were
then each given a switch, rawhide, strap or whip, and each
one was compelled to cut at the poor victim as he ran
around the ring. The ring was composed of men, women
and children; and, as they numbered from forty to fifty,
each circuit of the ring would result in that number of
lashes, and by the time the victim had made two or three
rounds his condition can be readily imagined. The overseer
was always one of the ring, vigorously using the whip, and
seeing that all the slaves did the same. Some of the victims
fainted before they had passed once around the ring.
Women slaves were punished in the same manner as the
men. The salt water bath was given after each punishment.
Runaway slaves were usually caught by means of hounds,
trained for the purpose by men who made it a business and
a source of revenue, notwithstanding its brutal features and
degrading influence. . . .
Replica of plaited leather whip
used on slaves
___Longing for Freedom___
Sometimes when the farm hands were at work, peddlers would come along; and, as they were treated
badly by the rich planters, they hated them, and talked to the slaves in a way to excite them and set them
thinking of freedom. They would say encouragingly to them: “Ah! You will be free some day.” But the
down-trodden slaves, some of whom were bowed with age, with frosted hair and furrowed cheek, would
answer, looking up from their work: “We don’t believe dat; my grandfather said we was to be free, but we
aint free yet.”
It had been talked of (this freedom) from generation to generation. Perhaps they would not have thought
of freedom, if their owners had not been so cruel. Had my mistress been more kind to me, I should have
thought less of liberty. I know the cruel treatment which I received was the main thing that made me wish
to be free. Besides this, it was inhuman to separate families as they did. Think of a mother being sold
from all her children ⎯ separated for life! This separation was common, and many died heart-broken, by
reason of it. Ah! I cannot forget the cruel separation from my mother. I know not what became of her, but
I have always believed her dead many years ago. Hundreds were separated, as my mother and I were, and
never met again. Though freedom was yearned for by some because the treatment was so bad, others, who
were bright and had looked into the matter, knew it was a curse to be held a slave ⎯ they longed to stand
out in true manhood ⎯ allowed to express their opinions as were white men. Others still desired freedom,
thinking they could then reclaim a wife, or husband, or children. The mother would again see her child.
All these promptings of the heart made them yearn for freedom. New Year’s was always a heart-rending
time, for it was then the slaves were bought and sold; and they stood in constant fear of losing some one
dear to them ⎯ a child, a husband, or wife.
National Humanities Center „ Louis Hughes, Thirty Years A Slave, 1897, excerpts___
10